The story is told on two levels - one is the present day when Allie and Noah
have grown old and live in a home; the other is the story Noah reads from
the notebook in which he tells how he and Allie met, fell in love, lost
each other, and then found each other again. The end of their love story
is tragically altered by Allie's Alzheimer's diagnosis, but even that
has no power over their love.
The first and most important theme is: Love conquers all.
Although this idea is sometimes overworked, in this particular work,
it is the most prevalent theme of all. No matter how many setbacks Allie
and Noah faced, their love always brought them together again.
The second theme is: Follow your heart. Allie
had spent fourteen years in fear of hurting her family and friends if
she deviated from the standard way of living for her social class. It
was only when she realized that she and Noah were meant to be together
that she made the right decision and followed her heart.
A final theme tells us that you cannot live your
life in fear of hurting others.
Allie nearly learned this hard way when she almost gave in to her
fear of hurting her family and friends by choosing Noah. Only with the
reading of his final letter to her written twelve years before was she
able to see that it was her life to live, and no one should be able to
force her in a direction she didn't want to go.
The mood is at times troubling and even quite sad, because of the disease
that is claiming Allie's mind. However, there is a sense of victory, in
spite of the inevitability of Allie's future, because in the end, love
wins, no matter how hard life tries to make it not so.
This author is a well-known writer who often uses the themes of love, tragedy,
and fate in his stories. He tried many careers in his life until he and
his wife moved to the setting of The Notebook, New
Bern, North Carolina. There he wrote The Notebook, his
first major novel. This was followed by such famous works as Message
in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember.
Nicholas based this novel, The Notebook, on the
lives of his wife's beloved grandparents. He still lives in New Bern with
his wife and five children.
Awards Won by The Notebook
#1 New York Times bestselling novel
Inspiration for the film The Notebook
Clapsaddle, Diane. "TheBestNotes on A Long Way Gone".
TheBestNotes.com.
>.